My name is Belisa. This is my first contribution to The Needle in the Haystack which I am sure will turn out to be a wonderful project. Without further delay:
This little piece is to question the internalized racism I have experienced all my life. People sometimes without even realizing it, have these internalized notions that white- lighter- Anglo- is somehow always better. The truth is that there is a big difference between patriotism and being racist. Yes, you can (and I believe you should), be proud of your roots and what your culture has to offer. However, racism falls into believing a race in superior to others, which is completely absurd. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, this is a true cliché. I wish the problem would stop there, that Caucasian people think white is better, but internalized racism is such a big part of our society that even non-Caucasian people think white is best. Many people no matter their background including Latinos, Middle Eastern, African, European etc… have this belief that lighter is better, just because it’s just that, lighter. Lighter features are preferred all over the world for some reason they are thought as more beautiful. In my country, Mexico, the gueritos get so many more people interested in them, simply because they are lighter than the rest, they don’t even have to be actually good looking, but to many people just the fact that they are lighter makes them more desirable.
I beg to differ, lighter is not necessarily prettier. Beautiful eyes are beautiful no matter their colour; features are beautiful no matter their colour. However, I think a big part of the blame still has to be put on colonialism. By now most of the world is a colonized society, which helps to put an explanation about this belief of white supremacy. People who come from colonized parts of the world have this embedded code in their upbringing that white is superior, that is why white people always win, that is why white people can take whatever they want and nothing happens, they are boss wherever they go. This of course is no longer true, it was before when their countries were being colonized, but the pain and the feeling that they are not as good enough as the colonizers remains in their education. This may seem farfetched to you, but there are innumerable examples we can extract from. Why are there skin lightening creams? Why are people fascinated with bleaching their hair to look unnaturally blonde? Why do people insist on pretending they have blue or green eyes by wearing contacts? Why is it that the African American women who are considered desirable in the media are mostly the lighter skin ones such as Tyra Banks, Rihanna and Beyonce? This is something I believe we have to fight to get rid of, and truly analyze it and ask ourselves where this comes from, because if we really take a look at it, it really makes no sense. This only feeds oppression, insecurities, racism and pain. There is no point in keeping this notion alive.
Here is some food for thought: did you know that genetically the black race is considered the perfect race? That is part of why they were enslaved, they are the strongest, most agile, and most resistant. Did you also know that genetically light eyes are considered a deformation? That is why over 50% of the human population has brown eyes; they are the normal and healthy shade of eyes to have. The point is to appreciate who you are, and stop internally degrading some races and upholding others, it does not make sense and it only leads to hate. Here is a little piece I did out of frustration I have felt all my life from by culture being degraded…
You tell me I don’t look like the people from my land and you expect me to take it as a compliment.
Why are green eyes and light skin valued over my brother’s dark skin and my mother’s gorgeous brown eyes? He has the colour of the sun surrounding him, the beautiful colour of bronze infused in his skin.
If anything these traits that I have inherited are my least valued.
These green eyes and this pale skin are prevalent in the land of the people that raped and killed my people, that slaved them, degraded them, tortured them, humiliated them, and stole from them. Would you like to be told you are lucky to look like the man who raped your mother? No? Neither do I.
I do not pride myself in these and I do not take it as a compliment that you make my mild differences come to light. I embrace my looks, but when you try to make my "lighter" features appear to be more beautiful than those more common in my people then we have a problem.
If you are going to compliment me compliment me in my curves that the women from my land are well known for, compliment my natural rhythm that we are blessed with and the warmth in our manner that comes so naturally to us.
Do not tell me I do not look Mexican, you do not know Mexicans.
-Belisa
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